All of us or none of us
by Neeewwy
Summary: When something happens in the beginning of sixth year that makes Lily Evans fall in a state of depression, when someone repairs that mistake in the beginning of seventh year, when they discover what it's like to love, like, hate, and other emotions hard to identify. This is Hogwarts class of 1977-1978
1. The beginning

**A/N: IT IS HERE! None of you are excited, I know. Nevertheless, with a social life I finally gained, my personal mental issues and well, **_**Jon Cozart,**_** this came a little late. What will happen is, I shall edit **_**Go, Going, Gone**_** and it will be better than ever. The reason as to why I am rewriting it in the first place is that I feel it's rushed and not many things were comprehended. **_**Go, Going, Gone**_** was solely a romance story, with a bit of suspense, but this one will be an adventure, murder, angst, romance tale that I will tell. Again, my extreme apologies to whomever cared for my writing, and on we go! **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is still not mine.**

Lily waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for her mother, tapping her fingers lightly on her forearm, her trunk with her golden initials _'L.M.E' _lying down at her feet. She looked up, meeting the eyes of her sister whom descended the stairs, looking away as quickly as the contact was made.

"I'm coming, Lils. I'm coming!" said a muffled voice from upstairs, before it's owner rushed into another room hurriedly and into another just as fast.

"It's alright, take your time. Hogwarts can wait," Lily muttered, scuffing the sole of her trainers on the wooden floorboard.

Frankly, she did not mean one word of it. Her heart was racing to get out of Cokeworth and back to the place she called home, that was a family replacement to hers, since one or more family members didn't accept her. But that still didn't mean that she was fully accepted there. Oh, no hardly. She was a muggle-born. Which meant the Wizarding and muggle world barely acknowledged Lily. She hardly paid attention to them, for there were students that cared for her wellbeing, and stood up for her at times like those when several students would shunt her away.

"Going so soon, freak?" Petunia asked, walking into the kitchen that was just opposite her. She gave Lily an artificial smile to be returned by a blank expression.

"Goodbye to you too, Tuney," she replied, almost bluntly.

"So sorry, darling. You just left your room a mess and you know how I feel about lying rubbish," Rose said, scurrying down the stairs while brushing her hair into a bun.

"S'alright, we have time," Lily shrugged, curling her fingers around the trunk's handle and lifting it up the floor, pulling it behind her as she walked out the door, her mother following suit with a wave goodbye to her eldest daughter.

Lily pushed her trunk inside the car silently, sitting down besides it and looking out the window whilst her mother rolled the car out of the driveway and off down the road. This summer was hushed, nothing out of the ordinary besides several visits from relatives (whom decided to stop by without an invitation, on Petunia's note) and Petunia's new fiancée. However, Lily scarcely said a word to him, for several reasons but the most important being her stillness in social activity and the fact that his bride-to-be did not want Lily 'interacting with people of their kind', in her words. Needless to say, Lily's interface with anyone over the past month or two wasn't big. After a certain someone had given up and had practically told her he wanted nothing to do with her, she didn't find any reason to interfere with anyone's life, since she ruined her own.

That someone was one _James Potter. _Yes, James Potter, the infamous prankster, the daring ringleader of his gang the Marauders, the star Quidditch Captain and Gryffindor Chaser. What could Lily have possibly done to make him want nothing to do with her after years of obsession? Well, the fallout in her friendship with Severus Snape was one. He didn't necessarily hate her for that (it was Snape whom he despised), it was more or less the fact that he caused it. What with edging him on to say _that word, _it was a burden that he took on his shoulders. Thus, approaching Lily at the start of the new term for sixth year and apologizing for entering her life and ruining it.

But why did it affect her so much? Why did she go into a silent state, hardly talking to anyone without invitation?

Because Lily concluded that she needed James. Not Potter, as she would call him, but _James._ Calling him by his surname meant that he was acting upon the cocky, self-indulged boy. Though when she called him by his given name, _James_, it was when he showed his insides, the caring, loveable (not that he wasn't loveable with the self-proclaimed mask) man he was. Moreover, that was scarcely when he acted upon it.

Therefore, when James told her he was walking out of her life that early morning on Platform 9 3/4, her unspeakable-self was allowed to run a silent riot.

"Have a good term, yeah? We'll send you letters when we can. We'll see you at Christmas, all right? And tell us the lucky guy who gets to work with you as heads, "Rose told her, giving her a brief hug before kissing her head and pulling her trunk out of the car, handing it to her.

Lily gave her a small nod, turning on her heel and wheeling the trunk down the lot and into the station that blared in red letters just above her head '_King's Cross Station'_. She looked over her shoulder to watch her mother drive out of the way of several cars, giving her a fleeting wave with her left arm.

Lily sighed and walked in the large yet dingy place, heading straight for the barrier that would lead her to the train that would escort her home in a blink.

Flashing her eyes rapidly and still marveling by the sudden switch of stations, Lily looked around the bustling of the platform. She was hoping to get a clear way of the train that was embedding steam and ready to take off so she could make her way inside it in content without scowls from several families she would not be happy to see. But having flaming red hair like the Gryffindor color didn't go unnoticed to some people.

"Lily!"

Sigh.

"Lily!"

_Sigh._

"OI! Evans!"

Lily turned around to be face to face (or more like neck to face) with one Sirius Black. She looked up at him, her eyes still holding the same vacant expression as they were before.

"You called?"

"More like hollered," Sirius responded, giving her a grin which she did nothing about, "are you deaf, Evans? Just wondering."

"No, I'm not. If that's all –"

"What's the rush? There's still a few minutes left for the train to take off, don't you want to chat with me?" Sirius pulled his bottom lip in a pout.

"No. The train is leaving right now, goodbye."

"Merlin, Evans. I don't see why you're cranky, it's just the morning!"

Lily rolled her eyes and turned around, pulling her trunk along with her as she boarded the train. She felt her fingers give a slight tug on the handle of her belongings and she looked down to find it being held by Sirius, tugging it along behind him.

"Can I have my trunk back? I don't need your help."

"You act like you don't but you do. You need loads of it," Sirius answered, giving her a firm expression (Lily rarely saw that) and pulling her arm with one firm grip, the other on the trunk down the isles of the train.

After realizing he wasn't going to let go of her nor her trunk, she sighed and asked where they were headed.

"McKinnon and MacDonald have been looking everywhere for you, they reckoned you emigrated to Australia or something." He rolled his eyes at the thought and grinned.

"Why would they say that?" Lily questioned, looking up at him as her arm strained against his hold.

"You haven't noticed, have you?" Sirius looked down at her before stopping at the door of a compartment. "You've become… silent. We – well McKinnon and MacDonald that is - by a hair's breadth hear from you."

Lily furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to give him her retort when the door slid open, a mane of blonde hair obscuring Lily's vision.

"Lily! I missed you! Where have you been? We only saw you once in the summer holidays and that was by a coincidence! We asked if we could meet loads of times, but you didn't agree. Why are you so thin? Mary come look at her, she's practically like her revolting sister," Marlene's voice said from Lily's shoulder, clutching the latter's neck.

"Right here, where would I be? Certainly not Australia," Lily said, rolling her eyes and patting her back all the same.

"Who said you'd be in Australia?" came Mary's tone from the doorway, smiling at the pair. She approached Lily cautiously; afraid she might flinch away similar to a deer being caught at the tip of a gun.

"Black," Lily said, catching a glance at the teenage boy standing and watching the exchange at the foot of the door.

Marlene reached a hand and gave Sirius a whack on the head, shaking hers and muttering under her breath about how much of a wanker he was.

"Typical," Mary muttered, hugging Lily briefly before pushing her inside and sliding the compartment door behind Marlene and Sirius, whom sat across from Mary and Lily after lifting the former's trunk above their heads and into a holder.

"What's new, Lils? You only send us a few words in your letters, and we hardly get those as well," Marlene said, leaning on her elbows so that they rested on her knees.

Lily shrugged. "Nothing besides Petunia getting engaged –"

"You told us that." Marlene revolved her eyes. "That's dull, a walrus getting married to a stick, who cares?"

"Marlene, stop being a twat," Mary warned and turned to Lily. "Continue."

"I'm head girl," she said brusquely.

It was a surprise to her that she made the title, knowing she wasn't the most model student at Hogwarts. Her record stood out, yes. But do three detentions and a near suspension (that being on the Marauders and Snape back when their friendship was still strong in third year) call for a head girl? Her parents were thrilled, not that they knew much about becoming head girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry but the muggle world did behold the same heading. Once the letter (that was two weeks later than usual, Lily pointed out) had appeared on her windowsill, her heart dropped at its familiar weight (it felt like it the same letter when she was fifteen and she just received her prefects badge). Petunia (soon to be Dursely) sneered over her shoulder, complaining how a name like _that_ could be entitled to a girl like_ her_.

"Well, _duh!_ Dumbledore would be mental not to put you as head girl," Marlene said without a trace of surprise on her face.

Sirius, however, was quite the opposite. His eyebrows disappeared behind his black hair that fell on the top of his forehead, eyes wide in revelation. "You're head girl?"

Lily nodded once and took out her badge from the pocket of her jeans, holding it out in the palm of her hand and showing off its _'HG'_ engravings.

"You're in for one big surprise, Evans." Sirius smirked, leaning back after getting a close look at the badge.

"Speaking of surprises," Mary started, looking at the only male in the box, "why aren't you with the rest of your gang of mischief?

"Moony went to find Prongs and lead him to the meeting. Shouldn't you be there, Evans? The train took off ages ago," he said, pointing at the door.

Lily shrugged one shoulder and stood up, walking to the door and opening it slowly. "Save me a chocolate frog," she said over her shoulder.

"Alright."

"Tell us who head boy is when you come back!" Marlene exclaimed at her retreating.

She turned to Sirius who had an impish grin on his face. She narrowed her eyes, sharing a look with Mary. "What's this surprise you're on about, Black?" she asked sternly, giving him a glance.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be a pleasant one for her, just you wait."

"…You have to give them all kinds of criticism when you're instructing them," Remus droned to James as they walked down the train towards the prefect's compartment, "whether it'd be about schedules, duties, or rules."

The adolescent nodded, his hands clamped in his pockets while his stomach did all kinds of somersaults. The feeling of anxiety, nervousness, and all other manners fluttering around inside him made his face blanch. The thought of actually lecturing students whom were younger or older, mature or juvenile, or just _Slytherins_ was horrifying. But what made matters worse was the head girl. Merlin knows who this head girl is, and he couldn't help wondering if Evans got it. Even if she didn't, she was still a prefect, and whether he wanted to or not, he'd see her either way today, whether at the feast, the meeting, the train, or the common room.

Remus noticed his friend's expression and shook his head. "Honestly Prongs, it'll be okay. Nothing will happen, they're just students."

"Yeah, who suddenly look up at me because I got this damned badge now." James huffed. "Dumbledore's lost his marbles, I tell you."

He looked up from staring at his shoes to scowl at Remus who resumed his walking towards the beginning of the train where they were headed. He caught sight of red ahead of them and James' heart jumped to his throat. He stopped on his heel, standing in the middle of the corridor, blocking a few bystanders' way.

Remus rolled his eyes (an action that seemed to happen more and more by the passing hour over particular students) and stood behind him, placing his hands on James' shoulder blades and pushing him forward.

"I can't do this, Moony, I can't." His voice was hoarse and shaky when he spoke, looking back at Remus who continued pushing him forward, to slight avail.

"Yes, you can. You cannot avoid her forever, James. Man up," he muttered in between pushes, getting weary of their constant child playing. He wasn't the only one, whether it came to Marlene and Mary, or Sirius and Peter. They were tired of the not-so-discreet glances at each other, the silent tongues, the hopeless demeanors. And if it continued, it would be either James and Lily or the rest of the clang.

James exhaled noisily and continued walking to the section where Lily Evans, the same Evans he tried to avoid for a whole new term, disappeared in.

He slid the door on it's hinges inelegantly, making the students in the compartment look up at the cause, Evans being one of them. She looked at him quizzically, clearly surprised by his presence.

James sat down besides the window, far away from her as possible and trying to avoid contact.

"What are you doing here? You do realize this is a prefects meeting?" said Lily, her voice sounding so far away but so close to him. James wondered what kind of logic that was as he looked up at her, his heart thumping loudly (so stridently, it wasn't a surprise there were students watching him, they could probably hear the beatings) against his ribcage.

"Yes, I do. That's why I'm here." James gave a coy smile.

Lily lifted her eyebrows in suspicion. "Are you planning a prank of some sort?"

"Not at all, I'm here to lecture these students." He waved his hand, gesturing towards the people in discussion who were watching the exchange nervously. When it comes to this pair in particular, things would go down in either a jinx or curse or maybe a snog because of the obvious sexual tension between them.

"What are you on about?"

James grinned, giving her a small wink before extracting his badge from his pocket and pinning it on the front of shirt where the initials _'HB' _gleamed in the morning sunlight. Lily gaped at him, her eyes darting from the badge to his beaming face, her mouth forming a comical 'O'_. _

"It's either you nicked it from Remus," she accused, pointing at the shaggy-haired boy beside her who just gave a weak smile, "or Dumbledore clearly is mental."

"Believe me, Evans. It's what I reckoned as well, until Moony told me it was mine. I even made dad floo Dumbledore to make sure it wasn't a joke."

Lily shook her head, but smiling all the same. If they could just get along like this for the rest of the term, maybe things would be better than usual. Right, she still doubted the fact of Potter – no, _James _now – getting head boy and sharing the title with her, but if he remained civil with her, she wouldn't qualm she'd have a good time with him then. She knew how loyal he was to his gang, how intelligent (even though he hardly worked at all) he was in class, his carefree manner –

"Evans, we should start instructing now, yeah?" James' voice echoed inside her head, banging on her skull. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the voice. She realized she was staring at him. He probably thinks I'm mental now, Lily thought, kicking herself spiritually. She nodded once and stood up from her seat, James doing the same on her other side.

Remus watched the barter carefully, his eyes glinting with a knowing look. _Dumbledore may be called insane, mental, has lost marbles, but if James and Lily were heads, it must have been for a reason,_ he thought.

Lily talked most of the time, since James was new to the clang of prefects, but he pitched in every now and then. He told them about the secret passages they could find, the several nooks and crannies in the castle, and a corridor that led to theundisclosed route towards the deep embeds of the dungeons, where only several classrooms were held, the rest chambers with chains and cuffs held by crooks in the ceiling.

"…And if anyone who decides they want to pull an innocent prank that may or may not result in a few detentions," Lily said, looking pointedly at James and Remus, both smirking roguishly, "be sure to stop them."

"And if they can't?" James asked innocently.

"Define 'can't'. I'm positive they all have the capability to catch a few bystanders whom find it funny to ploy people."

"Well, can't as in 'cannot catch them'. They're too devious to get caught; they found a way to get out of the hatchet."

"Well then," Lily started, "make something up."

"What do you mean by that?" James asked, creasing his brow.

"Just, make up a rule or an excuse to put them in detention if you can't find something. I did it once." Lily grinned proudly at the memory in fifth year where Sirius and Peter came out of Slughorn's office, holding something miniature. Lily accused them of stealing when they just said they were there for detention. She then made up the rule of not being allowed to dilly-doddle after detention where she pointed it out in section three, line twenty-seven of the chapter _Rules and Detentions_ in the prefects' handbook.

James blinked, shaking his head. "That's all, you can go now," he said, excusing them of their banter.

The prefects from all four Houses made their way out the door, exchanging a few greetings and farewells. Just as Lily's foot was out of the sliding door, James grabbed her arm, holding her back. She looked down at her arm then up at his face.

"Can I help you with something, Potter?" she asked respectfully, although her arm was straining against a hand for the second time that morning.

"Yeah, I was wondering –"

"James, I'll meet up with you in the compartment, yeah?" Remus interrupted, his head fading behind the door as it glided shut after him.

"What was it you wanted to say?" Lily asked again, shaking her arm out of his grip.

"Well, since we have to work together for the next few months, I was wondering if we could stop this – whatever we were doing. I mean, act civilly to each other. I know you never want to be friends with me, but at least we'd stop the bickering, yeah?"

"James," Lily stopped him by saying his first name. "Friends it is." She gave him a weak smile and offered her hand, sticking it out in front of her and gesturing for him to take it.

James grinned and took it gingerly, shaking it a few times before letting again, already missing the friction that held them both together. It was like a lifeline for him, he never wanted to let go of her hand. "Great. We're playing Gobstones in our compartment when I get back, want to join?"

"No thanks, I'm horrid at that game," Lily declined, walking out into the corridor and turning her back to him as he walked behind her.

"So is Peter but that doesn't stop him from playing it, does it?" he said, almost hopefully.

Lily laughed lightly, the first in a few months. Merlin, she missed laughing. And Merlin, he missed hearing that laugh. "It's all right; I was planning to stay with Mary and Mar for a bit. They're dying to know who head boy is."

"Must come as a surprise once you tell them, eh?" James said, stopping at a door. He smiled and slid the door open a bit, still addressing her. "You're still sure you don't want to play? It'd be fun."

"No, I'm okay. I have a chocolate frog waiting for me," Lily responded. And with a wave, she rushed down the corridor of the train, dodging a few students on the way as she made her way towards her anticipated friends.

James smiled after her before entering his compartment, sliding the door on its hinges after him.

"Is it true Evans is head girl?" Sirius said immediately, looking up from his board to fix his eyes on him as he sat down beside Remus and across from Sirius and Peter who was enjoying a pack of licorice wands at the moment.

James nodded, taking a wand from Peter and chewing on it slowly.

"Well, did you ask her out again? Was it why you were manhandling her? Begging her to give you a chance again?"

"He wasn't manhandling anyone Padfoot," Remus started, his eyes revolving in their sockets. "I never said that."

"Yeah, you didn't. But you said that James was with Lily, probably asking her something and knowing Prongsie-boy, it'll end up aggressively."

"No, I didn't ask her out," James answered, ignoring Sirius' misinterpretation, "I asked if we could be friends." He shrugged.

"What did she say?" Peter said suddenly, looking up from his packet to gap at him.

"She wants to be my friend." James smiled at the memory.

"Prongs, I'm going to tell you something," Sirius said, leaning forward slightly, his expression grim. "You're whipped."

"I am not! Asking for someone's friendship isn't being whipped!" James defended easily, huffing.

"To be fair," Remus said, pulling out a book from his trunk and sitting back down, glancing at him. "You asked the girl you've been swooning over for years to be friends with you, I think that is qualified for being whipped."

James scowled, though his lips gave away the expression as they twitched into a smile once he punched Remus' arm lightheartedly.

Lily entered the compartment, gliding the door behind her. She sat down quietly, looking out the window with a small smile playing at her lips.

Mary and Marlene shared worried looks before turning to her.

"Red, care to tell us why you look so content?" Marlene asked, throwing her chocolate frog at her as Mary nodded, looking at her from where Lily sat across from them.

She shrugged.

"Is it about the head boy?" Mary guessed, seeming engrossed.

Lily shrugged again, her smile becoming wider.

Marlene, suddenly deriving a conclusion, perked up. "It's about either James or Potter, isn't it?"

"James," Lily answered, unwrapping the chocolate frog and coiling her fingers around it to stop it from escaping. She looked down at the card, lifting it up so the stern yet creative face of Cornelius Agrippa.

Marlene raised her eyebrows, so high they seemed to disappear under her blonde bangs. Mary, however, smiled."What? Is he head boy?" she inquired, giving her a look.

Lily nodded, biting into the head of her frog.

"Did he say anything?" Marlene asked, waking up from her moment of dense shock.

The redhead shrugged, yet again. It was starting to irk Marlene to the point where she was almost on her knees, begging for information.

"What did he say? Did he ask you out again? Did you say yes? Tell me you did!" she pleaded, watching her chew slowly. Mary rolled her eyes at the girl's intact beside her.

"No, I didn't say yes because he didn't ask me out. He asked for my friendship," Lily answered slowly, her mouth full of the frog that had disappeared from her hand to her lips.

"He did _what?"_

"Marlene for Merlin's sake," Mary huffed, pulling her back up into her seat from her sitting position on the floor. "What did you say, Lils?"

"I said yes." She grinned, licking off the melted chocolate on her fingertips.

"Well, at least when you two realize how much sexual affiliation there is between you, he'll push you up a wall and shag you there." Marlene nodded at her own conclusion.

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "You have a deceased mind, Mar."

"She does." Mary nodded, pulling a pack of cards from her pocket.

"You love me for it."

"Sadly."

The train screeched to a stop at Hogsmeade station that made the undergraduates standing up topple back into their seats with a groan and a muffled apology to their acquaintance sitting beside them, or in Sirius and Peter's case, on top of them.

"Sorry Padfoot," Peter muttered, standing back up and looking down at Sirius who groaned and rubbed his chest.

"S'alright, just try and lose some weight this year, yeah? So you won't hurt me again," he said, standing up and reaching to pull out his trunk from above his head, only to tumble back down with another force (this time weight and height) so that he lay on his stomach this time in his seat, feet in the air.

"OI! Come on!"

"Sorry Pads, Evans just walked by and we need to inspect the train after you lot leave," James apologized, not sounding sincere at all. He adjusted his tie that was sitting clumsily on his neck and walked out into the hallway; calling on a certain name and making onlookers stop and glare at him as he pushed them out of the way.

"That boy is fluffed up, I swear," Sirius mumbled, shaking his head and rubbing the back of it before standing up again and taking out his trunk.

"Give the guy a break; at least he's on good terms with her. Or would you prefer last year where they were secretly undressing each other with their eyes?" Remus asked, cringing at the memory of the painful sixth year.

"Mate, I prefer anything besides that year, that was a ghastly year."

"Ghastly? Since when do you say that?" Peter questioned, looking up at the taller man, clearly puzzled by his choice of vocabulary.

"When you've lived with Dorea Potter for two summers, you'd start saying worse," he answered, grumbling and trotting off the train, Peter and Remus behind him to the open night's air, the smell of pine trees that lined at the Black Lake and Rosmerta's famous mead a few blocks down.

"What are you three talking about?" Marlene's tone of attitude said behind them as she jogged to catch up with them, shoving several second years out of her way, Mary besides her revolving her eyes.

"Sirius' choice of words," Remus said, shaking his head.

"He has a vulgar vocabulary," Mary said from where she stood beside Remus and Peter, behind Sirius and Marlene.

"It's what drives the ladies over the edge." Sirius grinned cheekily at Marlene.

"You're such a twat, Black." Marlene rolled her eyes and began climbing the steps to a carriage.

"…He'll be here soon, possibly in a month. I have had several discussions with him, he's a friend of the family," Rosier, a Slytherin seventh year whom boasted widely about himself in front of others, said to a few boys that were nodding, clearly impressed.

Sirius turned around from responding to Marlene, the rest following his move. His smirk quickly descended into a glower. "Who'd be friends with a prick like you? I sure wouldn't want to waste my time discussing some guy no one has even seen," he told him, pushing Remus and Mary as he and she attempted to hold him back. The realization of Sirius' brother, Regulus, chatting up with that crew boiled his blood under his skin, making it rush up into his ears, pounding painfully against them.

"If you look straight ahead, boys, you'll find two blood-traitors, and a mudblood. These creatures of the Wizarding world will soon be extinct, as our kind will finish them off," Dolohov said from where he stood besides Rosier, sneering. Antonin Dolohov was taller than Evan Rosier was, but the former had looks whereas the other didn't. Rosier had sleek black hair that was pushed to the side, several hairs hanging annoyingly on his forehead with penetrating grey eyes and a straight nose in between them. Dolohov, however, had blonde hair that lay limply on his head, as if it was a dead creature that was never cared for, his eyes glinted with sinfulness, his nose twitching up at the end. His face was sullen at the edges, giving him a pinched faced look.

Dolohov, Rosier, and Avery were the only ones who laughed in their crew consisting of five boys. Regulus and Snape however stayed quiet.

"And if you look to the left, you'd see another blood-traitor and a mudblood. Don't get too close, the latter's dangerous. She could bite off your member if you aren't careful with her," Rosier continued from where Dolohov started as James and Lily made their way over, pulling their trunks along with them. They stopped next to Sirius and the rest, the anger wafting off them and into the air.

"What are you on about, Dolohov?" Lily asked, sizing him up with a glare as she stepped forward, in between Sirius and James.

"It speaks!" Avery exclaimed, sounding shocked as he leered over her, having almost a foot on her height.

"I'm surprised you're the one to talk. Back in first year, you couldn't open your mouth from fright," she retorted, giving him a disgusted look.

Avery growled, gripping his wand in one hand while Dolohov and Avery stood beside him, clearly revolted by Lily's presence in front of them.

"I wouldn't do anything if I were you; we could have you up for it," James spoke to Dolohov who was standing in front of him. He nodded down to his badge that glistened proudly in the moonlight.

"So suddenly, Potter here got head boy and he thinks he could write us up to Dumbledore," Snape, who was quiet the entire time, abruptly alleged, taking two steps forward to reach his destination to where the trio, James, Lily, and Sirius, stood.

"I don't _think _I could, _I know I can_," he answered, turning to him.

"Let's go, mate. They aren't worth it," Remus said from behind them, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder, the other on James'.

"Listen to your mate, Potter. Who knows if it's the last time you get to talk to him what with everything going on," Avery said, turning his nose up at him.

"What are you inquiring?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Lily, come on, the carriage is about to leave, just ignore them," Mary whispered to her, pulling her arm. Lily shrugged it away, still looking at Avery.

"Well, you see Evans, blood-traitors aren't welcome in this world anymore, such as your shag-mate, Potter. And for the record, just because you asked, neither are you." He glared, adjusting his disgusted look to roam over Lily's frame.

"Avery –"

"Come on!" Marlene snapped suddenly, pushing her way through Remus, Mary and Peter (who was chewing his index finger in anxiety) to stare angrily at the gang. "We're leaving now. Sirius let's go." She grabbed Sirius' arm, tearing his gaze away from Regulus, who stood, staring at his feet, and pulling him inside the carriage, fumbling.

"Let's go, they aren't worth our time," Mary said, taking Lily's arm and following suit of Marlene and Sirius, Peter glancing nervously at James and the Slytherins before following her hurriedly.

"Spend it wisely, then. Your kind doesn't have much time," Dolohov growled, stepping back and walking away, glaring over his shoulder at James who still stood, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. Avery, Rosier, Snape, and Regulus followed suit, shooting looks at him as they walked past, Snape the most frightful.

"James, are you coming or are you going to sleep there?" Marlene said, poking her head outside of the carriage to call him.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he muttered back, stepping in after catching another glance at the retreating crew of Slytherins before they were swallowed by the darkness and shadows of the towering trees around them in the moonlight. He sat down by the door as the carriage took off, rocking and shuttering with every rock it stepped on.

"It's all open words, Prongs, don't let them get to you," Remus assured from where he sat across from him. Mary and Peter nodded rapidly.

"What do you reckon they mean by shag-mate?" he asked after a few moments of silence, turning to look at them. Sirius beside him shrugged, his mind still running on thoughts of how his brother was being treated and with whom he was spending his time with. Lily looked up at him, her expression blank.

"That's what's bothering you?" Marlene asked, grinning. "Instead of thinking about our rapid ends, you're thinking about being Lily's shag-mate?"

Remus smiled, shaking his head, as did Mary. Peter almost laughed if the pressure still wasn't high. Sirius, however, did.

"Oh, our dear Prongsie." He wobbled his head, smiling widely as he ruffled James' hair, ignoring his protests. "Always going for the bright side. At least you get to spend the last of your valuable time as Evans' shag-buddy, eh?"

"I'm no one's shag-mate or buddy," Lily said crossing her arms over her chest and looking out into the night defiantly.

"Trust me, love. You will be soon," Sirius nodded, nudging her with his right arm and James with his left.

"You're an arse, Sirius Black, did anyone tell you?" he mumbled, glowering at him.

"I've been told." He winked at Marlene who narrowed her eyes at him.

"I can see Hogwarts," Peter said, standing up and stretching.

"That's good, Pete! Now, how many fingers am I holding up?" Sirius said teasingly, holding up a finger while Peter rolled his eyes.

"Stop being such a git, Black," Marlene scolded from across him.

The carriage lurched forward to a stop, making Peter topple over to Sirius (yet again) and land on his lap with a grunt.

"Sorry Padfoot," he mumbled, standing up again.

"I'm telling you Peter, we need to put you on a diet. No more licorice wands," Sirius moaned, rubbing his firm chest and standing up.

Remus was the first one out, pursued by Mary and Peter, then Sirius and Marlene, followed by James and Lily.

"You seem to be a bit shaken, are you all right?" James asked, stepping down and waiting for Lily to stand beside him before walking towards the castle slowly, looking down at her with a genuine look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded, meeting his smile before looking away. "You seem to take their words to heart," she said casually.

"Me? Nah," James said, waving a hand. "They're just a few wankers wanting to mess with our heads."

Lily grinned and shook her head, falling in step with the rest as they entered the entrance hall, the marble staircase on her left with portraits of different specimen either side of her, greeting them to another year at Hogwarts and the Great Hall in front of her, awaiting to be entered with Dumbledore welcoming them.

"I just realized, this is our last year here," Peter noted. "We'll never walk through those doors again for the first time to enter another year."

Lily, James, Remus, Mary, and Marlene nodded, looking around sadly and solemnly, standing in the doorway and blocking several excited students' path.

"Ah, our last year. We're going to make the teachers' life a living hell," Sirius said, grinning and tossing an arm around James and Remus' shoulders, while the girls rolled their eyes at the groups intact, but smiling at how close they were.

"Yeah, it's going to be legendary."

"Remember-able."

They all nodded, walking across the entrance hall and entering the great Hall and towards the Gryffindor table as other students began piling themselves under the candlelight's and House banners hanging up on three walls. The fourth was holding the Hogwarts crescent (an H, surrounded by the mascots of each House) behind the teachers table where Dumbledore sat, eyes twinkling down at them with his fingertips pressed together in front of him, giving them an unsolved look.

"I always wondered what Dumby would be thinking when he's looking at us like that," Sirius inquired, looking genuinely curious as he stared up at the elder man that took control over the school.

The rest looked up at him as well, cocking their heads to the side in wonder while Dumbledore continued glancing at the entering students with a small smile heaving at his lips.

Their thoughts and mind's eye were interrupted several moments later by the double doors opening to reveal a line of petite first years following the lead of Professor McGonagall. She was sporting yet again her notorious tight bun at the middle of her head and emerald green robes that trailed behind her as she walked gracefully down the Hall, making a small black-haired boy who was right behind her trip on the fabric and fall. She was walking at the front of the streak, a chair with a battered hat that was covered in shreds and tatters and patches sitting on top of it and holding them by arms length, as if it was a fragile thing and if it were not held carefully, it would shatter into a thousand pieces.

"Ah, the ickle first years," Sirius said, grinning extensively, "got your money ready boys?"

The girls looked at them curiously from where they sat across from them. "What are you guys talking about?" Marlene questioned, looking at each innocent face in turn.

"It's a Marauders tradition to bet on first years," Remus answered, pulling out a few coins from his pocket and shaking them in his hand.

"Tradition?" Lily asked as she leaned forward and the new-bees began forming a line in front of the staff table, their backs towards the teachers and their pale faces towards the older students who looked at them amusedly. "The Marauders were formed in second year, wasn't it?"

"Well, it started in third year, the tradition," Peter said, looking up at the first years and thinning his eyes at them, deep in thought.

"So what, you just pick a kid and you bet on which House they'll be in?" Mary guessed, raising her eyebrows.

The boys nodded, as if they were proud of what they were doing.

"What happens if you all bet on the same house and all of you win?" Lily whispered to them, leaning on her arms that lay on the table in front of her.

"We do nothing but wait for another." Sirius shrugged and Marlene and Mary raised their eyebrows.

"What if none of you get the right house?" Mary asked, sitting in the same position Lily was currently in.

"Same answer, we do nothing," Peter told them, counting his few galleons and then the heads of the children who were staring at the hat as if it would grow arms and legs any second.

"You guys are horrible, betting on kids like that," Mary said, sounding uneasy. The boys ignored her.

"Small bunch this year though," Sirius noted, sounding disappointed.

"It should be a good thing," James said. "The less kids, the more galleons we win."

Sirius and Peter nodded thoughtfully, eyes roaming the newcomers as McGonagall placed the chair in front of the school kindly, the battered hat on top of it.

"You guys are –"

_"Shhh!"_

Lily glared and sat back in her seat, fumbling at the unknown voice that shushed her as a rip in the middle of the hat opened and a voice began singing.

_There were times of old when I was new_

_When Hogwarts had not started_

_Were our four founders_

_Those were never parted._

_They were joined by a widespread goal,_

_To teach students in the world's best magic school_

_About the spells and stories of bold_

_That they have just created._

_They planned and they decided_

_About the new school to be built_

_But never did they dream someday to be divided._

_For there was no such good friends as Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw_

_Except the second pair of Slytherin and Gryffindor._

_But how could such friendships fail,_

_How could it gone so wrong?_

_Have no fear, for I am here_

_To tell you the sad story tale._

_Slytherin would teach just those with_

_Ancestry of purest._

_And Ravenclaw would teach those_

_Of intelligence which is surest._

_Gryffindor bestowed the brave deeds_

_To their given names_

_Whilst Hufflepuff would teach the lot_

_And treat them all the same._

_With differences such as these_

_There was a little strife_

_For each of the four founders_

_A House in which they teach of might_

_And take only those they wanted._

_Rowena took only those of sharpest minds_

_While Salazar obtained only_

_Wizards of pureblood binds._

_Only the boldest and the bravest_

_Were taken to dear Godric,_

_While good Helga took the rest_

_And taught them all her best._

_Hence, Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years,_

_The Houses and their founders_

_Retaining friendships with little_

_Faults and several fears._

_The Houses turned against each other,_

_Divided and out to rule,_

_They were like pillars for the school,_

_The Houses of the founders four._

_There seemed a point where the school_

_Might just reach a hasty end_

_With the fighting and the dueling_

_And the quarrels of good friends._

_But at last the fighting died out_

_When dear Slytherin departed_

_One early morning, heading south._

_And never since the founders four,_

_Were now only three._

_Now the Houses never united_

_As they were meant to be._

_Now I am here, the Sorting Hat_

_To see whom you are destined to meet._

_In which of the four founders House,_

_Will you be held upon._

_I have told you the tale_

_Of how Hogwarts began_

_But let us start,_

_I'll look into your mind_

_And tell you where you shall stand._

The school erupted in applause, some whistling (more on the Gryffindor's seventh year behalf) and some cheering as the Sorting Hat ended and lay limp on the chair again. The applause died down once McGonagall opened a scroll and cleared her throat, holding the hat in her right hand as she began calling names of random.

"Acrob, Jacob!" she called, loud enough for the silent Hall to hear, well mostly. Four boys at the Gryffindor table were busy whispering hurriedly at each other, leaning over the table and murmuring before looking up and waiting for the Sorting Hat to claim the mousy boy's (that looked much like Peter, Sirius noted) place at Hogwarts.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Peter and Remus groaned and handed Sirius and James a few coins whilst the Hufflepuff table roared with cheers and applause as Jacob trotted down the stairs and sitting down at the welcoming table, Mary, Marlene, and Lily exchanging looks.

"Adole, Lucy!"

"Looks like a Slytherin," James whispered to Peter, Sirius, and Remus as a tall girl with black hair and blue eyes with a pose in her step walked over to McGonagall slowly.

"I'd say Ravenclaw," Sirius guessed.

"No, she has a spring in her step that Slytherin's have." Remus nodded, watching her.

"I say Gryffindor, she's tall," Peter said, gaining looks from his friends. He shrugged at them, grinning as he looked at the girl, awaiting the call.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table the Marauders were sat at exploded with cheers as they welcomed the newcomer who grinned broadly and sat besides a few fifth years that greeted her. Sirius, James, and Remus groaned and passed a smiling Peter a few coins.

"Afera, Anne!"

"Definitely a Slytherin."

"Nah, Hufflepuff all the way."

"Looks like a Hufflepuff to me."

"Ravenclaw, she belongs there."

The four boys looked up at the short girl with brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, walking towards the Sorting Hat hurriedly, as if she would not hasten, it would Sort another student.

A few anticipated moments, then - "SLYTHERIN!"

James beamed happily and held out his hand towards the boys who frowned and gave him a few galleons, which he jiggled happily in his hand.

This continued until they end of the Sorting a few minutes later and McGonagall rolled up the scroll and placed it on the stool. She took the hat and exited the room quickly as Dumbledore stood up, his midnight colored robes swaying with each move he made, making the stars and moons on it dance lightly in the light the candles offered.

"Welcome back to another joyful year at Hogwarts, to our familiar faces," he greeted, spreading his arms wide and catching the attention of the four boys who started counting the galleons they won from each other. "And welcome to Hogwarts, for our new students. Those of you who do not know the rules, or do not stand by it, I will repeat them." He inclined his head to the direction of a few particular boys who grinned at him. "The Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason, you must not enter it. The dungeons are not to be entered, except for classes and the Slytherins only. And Mr. Filch has kindly reminded me to tell you about the two-hundred and thirty two rules that are not to be broken unless you wish to be held by your thumbs by the ceiling."

"Cheerful," Sirius said sarcastically, grinning up at Dumbledore whose arms opened wide again.

"May the feast begin!"

"Hear, Hear!" the Marauders said in unison as a wide variety of food appeared in front of them. Dumbledore sat back down, being engaged in a conversation immediately with McGonagall who appeared again from a door behind the staff table and was sitting beside him.

"Do any of you think of anything else besides eating?" Marlene asked, looking distastefully at Sirius as he tore off a piece of chicken with his teeth, chewing hungrily, picking up a few crisps, and putting them in his mouth as well.

"Nope," Peter, Remus, and James said in harmony, Sirius being too engrossed in his food.

Lily and her two friends watched them slowly, their appetites slowly decreasing with every bite the foursome took.

"Imagine you're on a train for ten hours, having nothing to eat but licorice wands and chocolate frogs," James said, looking up from his large piece of steak and rice.

"Oh how horrible," Lily mocked, rolling her eyes and biting into her chicken.

The boys hardly realized her sarcasm, it being covered by the hubbub of the chattering students everywhere around the hall, talking gleefully and enjoying the food as it slowly faded away, leaving only crumbs behind, though those disappeared as well, being replaced by desserts of all sorts.

Sirius' eyes glistened as it landed on cookies, while Remus divulged himself in chocolate cake. James hummed as he chewed slowly on his treacle tart, licking off his fork as he bit into another piece.

As the students and staff alike slowly ate away until their stomachs were full to the brim, the food that was hardly left at all faded away and Dumbledore stood up again, addressing the lot.

"Ah, another fulfilling feast yet again," Dumbledore sighed merrily, "And now all of you off to bed, pip-pip!" He waved his hands and gestured towards the double doors.

The students stood up leisurely, drowsy from all the comfortable food in their stomachs, currently digesting at the moment and headed to the doors, shuffling their feet on the tiles.

"Why does he always say that? Pip-pip? He said it last year, the year before that, is he always this cheerful?" Peter asked from behind James, Lily, and Remus and besides Mary, Marlene, and Sirius.

"Who knows?" Lily shrugged. "Maybe he wants all of us to see the brighter of things, especially at times like this." She frowned, trudging up the marble staircases and watching her feet.

"It's a dark time, what we're living in." Remus nodded, looking out the window sadly.

"It is," James started, walking backwards up the steps to look at them all in turn, "But I'm going to do something about it, make it brighter."

"Pip-pip!" Sirius joked, catching up with James and throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Honestly though, I'm going to help you."

"We all will," Mary confirmed, nodding her head several times and looking around at the clang.

"All of us, or none of us," Lily said, smiling and pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ear.

They bobbed their heads, saying _'Clarior Parte' _to the portrait of the (now drunken) Fat Lady, walking into the Gryffindor common room of fluffed chairs and stuffed feathered pillows of velvet fabric, portraits on the walls and a large fireplace greeting them.

"Our last first day here," Sirius sighed dramatically dropping onto the couch in front of the crackling fire, arms above his head.

"You make it sound like it's the end of the world." Mary rolled her eyes and sat beside him.

"It might be once we're out there, fighting."

"Not when I'm around." James shook his head, still standing and running a hand through his hair tiredly.

"You can't always play the hero, mate. Sometimes, things get out of hand and you can't do anything about it," Remus told him, standing beside him behind the couch.

"Remus is right, James," Lily said, puckering her brow, "things could get out of control out there, out of Hogwarts, and sometimes the only thing you get to do is watch."

"Well then I'll die trying," he said, puffing out his chest.

"Me too." Sirius stood up, a grim look on his face at the mention of a raging war outside.

"We all will. But we're at Hogwarts now, and if you haven't noticed it's our NEWT's year, which means everything isn't about dueling and fighting but about studying," Lily told them, placing her hands on her hips.

Sirius and Marlene groaned. "Rely on you to mention studying," the latter said, glaring at her and standing up from her seat on a plush armchair besides the couch.

"I'm heading to bed before she starts talking about all the courses she's going to take this year," Sirius mumbled, walking towards the boy's dormitory staircase. "Coming lads?"

"Yeah we'll be right there," James called back, turning to the three girls. "See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah." Mary nodded, nudging Lily who was too busy scowling at the back of Sirius' head and walking towards their staircase. "'Night James!"

"Goodnight ladies!" James waved and headed up the stairs after Remus and Peter who waved at them sleepily.

**A/N: Would you care to tell me how I did for the first chapter? Should I continue? How did you like the longest chapter I've ever written so far? Tell me anything that relates or any criticism in a review please!**


	2. Lessons and a mysterious disappearance

Lily Evans being friends with James Potter seemed to catch the interest of a large portion of people in Hogwarts, whether pupils or staff alike. Sirius swore he caught a few words of their Head of House and Transfiguration professor, Minerva McGonagall, and their Astronomy teacher, Eva Tulbent's conversation of them discussing something with the words "Dumbledore," "new head students," and "dating."

James laughed at the idea. "Padfoot, come on. This is McGonagall you're talking about, not some pass-off teacher," he said to him, shuffling a few scrambled eggs in his mouth and addressing his friend who sat across from him, still defending his now unbelievable tale.

Sirius looked at James, frowning and narrowing his eyes. "I swear, Prongs. It's what I heard. What if McGonagall wants you and Evans to shag and get on with it because she knows how much sexual tension there is between you two and she's worn-out of all the banter and bullocks? And what if she wants the both of you to get together and snog each other senseless already?!" he said in one breath, looking at him with wide eyes and pointing at him with his knife in his right hand.

James looked at Lily, where she sat next to Sirius and a bemused look on her face. "Are you buying this, Evans?" he asked her, looking at Sirius and then Lily in turn.

Lily shook her head, spreading jam on her toast and taking a bite out of it. "The fact that McGonagall is rooting for us to date?" she asked for confirmation, raising her eyes to look at him from her tasteful food.

James grinned, looking at the corners of her lips where small bits and crumbs of her food lay, decorating her face. He looked up, meeting her eyes and nodded.

"I'm not making this up!" Sirius defended, seeming to be helpless. "Wormtail was there with me, right? You heard." He nudged the plump boy beside him with his elbow, looking down at him.

Peter looked up from his, well _feast, _offered Sirius a shrug, and nodded at James. He swallowed. "Yeah, it's true."

James smiled in amusement, turning back to his food and swallowing a bite of bacon. The thought of the teachers taking his side on dating Lily Evans wasn't much help on trying to get over her. Sure, they shared a few laughs last night, discussed important matters when they were searching the train for students after they all left for the carriages. And there was that time when she touched his shoulder, urging him forward when they saw the Slytherins in front of their friends. He knew he was supposed to feel anxious, frightened, and angry, but he just couldn't help the lurch in his stomach at that contact. But, _still. _He needed to get over her, because they were only friends, and it kills him when he thinks that she has a chance with any other man but him because of the sake of their friendship. But it was the way things were, and he would be her friend rather than a foe.

Lily watched him from atop of her plate, her hair pooling over her right shoulder and covering the side of her face where Sirius sat, teasing Peter about his eating choices. She gazed at him, watching as the small smile danced on his lips and the fork twirling between his long fingers on his left hand as he toyed with his food. She knew that the smile was not reaching his eyes and it was just an act. She knew that he was thinking of something, something that was irking him. She knew that look on his face, where he would crinkle one side of his cheek and squint the left eye. She didn't know how, she just did.

Lily wondered if he was thinking about what Sirius said, about them being the head of discussion on the teachers' tongue. It didn't help her nerves about the whole situation. She was now friends with him, he laid it down himself, and chances with him seemed slim. He practically told her they had no possibility of being together once he offered to be friends and now she finds herself wishing for the days in fifth year when he would ask her out every time he saw her, each time in a new ingenious way. Of course, it riled her into annoyance back then, but at least she would have an opportunity to be with him. However, come to think of it, she probably would have turned him down as usual. Because she has only been his friend for twenty-two hours and a few minutes (not that she was counting).

Lily sighed and rested her cheek on her hand, tracing the rim of her goblet of juice with her finger and gazing up at the majestic ceiling, mirroring the weather of the bright sun in an apparent blue sky.

"Problem, Red?" Marlene said from across her, suddenly appearing where she wasn't before next to James who was still staring at his plate. She gave her a coy smile and gestured with her eyes at the boy beside her but Lily just shook her head.

"Just thinking." She shrugged, taking a sip from her goblet and averting her eyes away from the view above her.

"Care to tell?" She raised her eyebrows, peeling a banana and biting it uninvitingly.

"No, I really don't," Lily answered, grinning at her as Marlene rolled her eyes. "Where's Mary, by the way? McGonagall is going to hand out schedules in a few moments, she should be here." She glanced nervously at the staff table. Professor McGonagall was engaged in a conversation with their Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout, beside her. She was still seated at the side of a pensive looking Dumbledore who was reading a piece of parchment in his hand.

"Oh _Mary_," Marlene said, pausing and grinning. "You wouldn't believe what happened when we were on our way here because_ you_ already left with your shag-mate over here. I swear, you two will be best friends and where will we be? Pushed off to the side and completely forgotten while you're flirting naively and enjoying your sexual apprehension."

Lily laughed at that, her head tilting back as she shook her hair out of her face and chuckled in hilarity. "Where do the pair of you come up with these beliefs?" she said after redeeming herself and looking between Sirius, who turned to see what was so amusing, and Marlene who took another bite out of her yellow fruit heatedly. "Sirius, listen to this. Mar thinks James and I will be best friends and we'll forget you two because we're too busy shagging."

Sirius nodded. "She speaks only the truth, that McKinnon," he told her, wagging his sausage in front of Lily's face, making her recoil back from the smell. "You two will be busy shagging it up in _our_ dormitory while _we're_ listening to the noises by the door, because we're lonely and you two are too immersed with each other to care about us."

After he finished, Lily was looking at him, taken aback, and rather disgusted at his theory.

James looked up and grinned in amusement, throwing an arm around Marlene. "Nah, we wouldn't forget you, Mar. Even if we are shagging. Well, when we are, I'm pretty sure we won't be thinking of any of you but each other –"

"James," Lily interrupted, shaking her head, her face bright red, and admitting a light giggle. "Stop talking."

"Yes, Milady."

Lily rolled her eyes and tried to divert the conversation away from shagging James Potter. "Mar, what happened with Mary?" she asked, looking at her and wiping her mouth with her napkin, trying to cool her face from the heat that was arising in her cheeks and flushing her neck.

"Oh yeah," Marlene started again, nodding with a satisfied smile on her face. "Mary, our lovely Mary, got stopped by a certain someone."

Lily, James, and Sirius, raised their eyebrows. Peter gagged on his juice (James and Sirius always thought he had a craze for Mary surreptitiously).

"Who's the certain someone?" Lily asked, sounding and seeming interested.

"You'd be surprised," she continued, giving a mischievous smile. She opened her mouth to go on with her gossip that the group was hanging on very dearly, when a cough broke her up and a stern face loomed over them. They looked up to find McGonagall, who was only just sitting in her seat at the staff table, in deep dialogue a few minutes ago. Now, however, she peered over them, her eyes narrowing at each of them in turn.

"Good morning, Potter, Evans," she greeted, nodding towards the respective faces. Sirius shot James and Lily a look that clearly said _'See? I told you!' _before turning back to McGonagall. "And Black, McKinnon, Pettigrew."

"Morning, Minnie. Sleep well?" Sirius asked, without a hint of discomfiture.

"As good as I can, Black," she told him, giving him a look.

"Wonderful."

"Your schedules," McGonagall introduced, handing out their timetables. "I expect more of you two in my classes, Ms. McKinnon and Black. As I recall, last year your attendance in my class was very minimum, I kept wondering why you even arrived when there was a lesson that you came to." She raised her thin eyebrows at the pair, who did nothing but only grin at her.

"My dear Minnie –" Sirius started but Lily cut him off.

"Don't worry, Professor. We'll make sure they come to class this year," she said, puffing out her chest and smiling a tight smile and ignoring the kick she got from Marlene and the pinch on her side from Sirius as she gave her teacher a tight smile, trying her best not to jump in her seat from the abrupt soreness.

"Lovely," McGonagall told her and she turned to James, handing him his timetable. "I look forward to your leadership, Potter. Especially since you are now head boy. You should know Dumbledore didn't give you the title without a reason, so I expect you hold to it."

James nodded, his grin never faltering, even though his insides were dancing in self-consciousness. Head boy came as a surprise to him as much it came to the Marauders. Sure, he would have aimed for the title if you told him to, but he did not expect it to come at _his _window holding _his _name eagerly without him applying to it. He wouldn't have believed it if Sirius hadn't barked out in laughter and all but told everyone they knew about it. Now, since he had returned to Hogwarts and his parents are swollen with pride, he wanted to prove to all of them that he deserved this title, that he was head boy for a reason, and it wasn't for new achievements and possibilities for breaking more rules than he could hope for. No, he was head boy because it was _his_ heading and he earned it.

Now all he needed to do was to prove to the whispers covered by hands, the chatters behind backs, and the disapproving looks that he was meant to be head boy.

"Don't worry, Minnie. Jamesie boy here is going to be a wonderful head boy," Sirius assured her (not that she was reassured) and sending James a wink.

"I hope to be so," she answered curtly before turning back to James. "The list for Quidditch tryouts is in my office; stop by after dinner to get it." After receiving his nod, she continued marching her way down the aisle between the Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor tables, heading towards another bundle of students, waiting anxiously as McGonagall arrived.

"History of Magic, free period, DADA, free period, lunch, Transfiguration, and double Potions," Sirius read off his schedule, looking down with a dim face. "Tuesdays are always the worst in our timetables."

Marlene snatched Sirius' timetable and began comparing his with hers.

"Well, I dropped out of History of Magic; I don't know why you three still take it. Pete and I did the sensible thing," she commented, handing back his schedule.

"It's not like we pay attention in it," James answered her drearily, running a finger down his lessons. "It's more like a free period when you're in Binns' class. You could do anything, give someone a blowjob and he wouldn't notice."

Sirius and Peter laughed.

"I don't take it to give out blowjobs. I take it because I find it interesting. Unlike the clang over here, offering blowjobs willingly in the middle of class," Lily said, gusting out her chest in a proud motive.

"I'll have you know," Sirius started. "We never gave _anyone _a blowjob. Never will I, or anyone of us Marauders, ever."

Marlene smirked and passed Lily her schedule after giving her a wink.

"Oh I'm not so sure about that. You are forewarned, the women in this place won't spare you a second glance once you've finished shagging all of them. So you'll be left with men."

"Ladies, come one. Don't think like that!" James defended, raising his hands in the air. "That's Sirius over there. I for one still have my virginity, and tend to keep it that way till I'm gladly married."

Marlene and Lily snorted.

"I highly doubt that," they said in agreement, standing up and shouldering their bags, their agendas in hand.

"What? Where are you going?" Sirius looked up at Lily, then Marlene.

"Class."

"It starts in five minutes. Hurry up, boys. And don't give each other blowjobs before the lesson; you wouldn't be able to think very well once you're being educated." Lily gave a short smile before turning on her heel and walking down the table, Marlene on the other side, meeting her pace.

Sirius, James, and Peter stared after them before sharing looks with each other and shaking their heads.

"Women," Sirius commented, standing up and abandoning his hash brown. He placed his bag on his shoulder, standing up and stuffing his schedule inside it.

"Do they always think like that? About gay orientation and blowjobs?" Peter asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable in his seat. He followed suit of Sirius, shouldering his bag and looking down at his timetable.

"Well, Wormy," James sighed, straddling the bench and looking at Peter. "We may never know."

The boys exited the Hall, looking discomfited for the lack of the fourth member of the group. Remus, the Marauder in missing, had left the dormitory before the rest, without a trace of where he was going. McGonagall hadn't said anything about a spare schedule for him, so he must have eaten breakfast and headed off to who knows where.

"Where do you think Moony will be?" Peter asked, looking up at the taller men beside him as they walked up the staircases, following the clash of the students rushing to arrive at their first lesson of the term. The moving stairs led them to the second floor, dropping them off and turning away, resuming its movements round the other staircases, linking them together.

"I dunno. He could be anywhere. MacDonald didn't show up either. You reckon they're together?" James suggested, heading off down the corridor with Sirius and Peter either side of him.

"Possibly. But, look at this logically," Sirius said, waving a hand. "This is _Moony _we're talking about. With his furry little problem. He wouldn't want to cause danger to people by exposing himself in front of them." To make his statement clear, he mocked Remus by making air quotes around the last of the sentence and putting on a deep but hoarse voice to mimic his friend. Peter continued down the hall and headed towards his Astronomy lesson two floors up as his two mates walked stopped by the door of their classroom.

"Remmy is an idiot, I swear," James said, shaking his head and entering the dingy classroom. Two windows aligned each wall beside the desks that were placed in the middle of the room, giving off hardly enough air to make the room tolerable to sit in. Professor Binns, a man who died in his late sixties in an armchair but still persisted in teaching, whether ghost or not, stood (well technically, _floated_) in the front of the room, his back to the blackboard and his pearly face in his solid notes.

"Will he ever stop teaching?" Sirius asked, crinkling his nose at the slight smell of mold that was wafting the room and walking towards a desk in the back of the classroom.

"Don't complain, you might just jinx him," James warned. "What if he does stop? What teacher would allow you to eat Fizzing Whizbees in class?"

Sirius nodded in acknowledgment as he watched his fellow students file in, sitting down at their chosen desks. He grinned at passing girls who giggled back and waved. James rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to stop this year, Padfoot?"

"Stop what? Breathing? Living? Pranks? Being devilishly handsome all together?" Sirius asked, ignorant to his friends' reaction towards his obvious flirting.

"Shagging, to be quite short," James responded bluntly, his arms over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles and resting on the bar holding the wood and metal together underneath the desk.

Sirius turned to look at him.

"This is our last year, Prongs. Don't you want to make it meaningful?"

"Yeah, I do." James nodded solemnly. "But that doesn't mean shagging half the population of girls in this school."

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Binns' buzzed tone cut him off, making the students, that were live with energy one moment ago, space out and gaze out of the window beside them, or doodle mindlessly on the edge of their parchments, which was meant for notes.

"The beginning of Giant wars against Goblins started in 1623…"

"I don't know how we are going to get through this year," Sirius mumbled to James as he closed his eyes and rested his arms above his head.

"I know one way," James responded, grinning in a roguish manner. Sirius pried one eye open to watch James as he scribbled on the frame of a parchment, then crumpling it to form a tight ball. Sirius sat up and grinned.

"Are we playing that muggle game when we are aiming for Binns' head?" he asked, tearing a piece of parchment off and holding it at arm's length, narrowing an eye at Binns and aiming for his semi-transparent head.

James shook his head and pulled Sirius' arm down to rest on the desk, forcing him not to throw the parchment at the teacher's head (last time, he ended up in the girls bathroom, scrubbing the floors for a detention).

"Not this time, Pads," he said, still grinning as his eyes never leaved the front of the room. "I'm aiming somewhere else."

Sirius peered over his shoulder, wondering at where he was intending. His eyes landed on a spot of red hair.

"Ah. At Evans, eh?" he asked before getting ready to throw his piece of parchment again.

"No, Sirius," James told him, sighing and glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "Just sit quiet for a moment. Or is it too much to ask?"

Sirius huffed and narrowed his eyes at him, watching as his note bounced onto Lily's desk, where she was sitting, and her face was in her arms as she wrote what Binns' was saying, taking in every detail. Sirius wondered how she didn't fall asleep at the tone. If you put Sirius in a room alone with Professor Binns as he talked about wars that no one paid attention to, he would fall asleep almost immediately.

Lily looked up from her arms when her friend and dorm mate, Alice Prewett, a small girl with slight pixie features of tight lips, a small nose, and high cheek bones, beside her nudged her lightly in the elbow. She gave her a questioning look.

"You got a note," Alice told her, looking pointedly at the small bit of parchment that lay in between them on the desk. Lily looked around, expecting to see someone glance at her in nerves and in hope that she would open it. But everyone was too busy trying to find something to occupy him or herself to pay any attention to her.

She looked down at the curious looking parchment and picked it up, unfolding it slowly and carefully. It wasn't the first time she passed notes during class (especially not in Binns') but it was usually just her and Alice. Since Alice seemed just as questioning as she was, it didn't look like it was from her.

_**Do you still think we're doing blowjobs, Evans? **_

Lily smiled and shook her head, glancing behind her to look at James where he was sitting, playing hangman on the corner of his parchment. He glanced up at her and met her eyes, grinning and motioned with the bob of the head and a wave of a hand for her to reply. She rolled her eyes and turned away, dipping her quill and writing, with Alice over her shoulder:

_I still do, quite frankly. Although you're not doing it now doesn't mean I should stop my belief._

Alice furrowed her brow, watching as she summoned her wand from her behind her ear and made the ball hover in the air and float towards an awaiting Marauder.

"Why do you think he's doing blowjobs?" she asked in a whisper, watching as James received his note.

"Long story." Lily gave her a warm smile and turned back towards her parchment, pretending to jot down notes when she just was drawing mindlessly.

Something floated over to them, this time in a more attention-seizing manner. A small, paper air balloon drifted above their heads, making the pupils who weren't paying attention (which was the whole class) awe. Lily rolled her eyes as a small hole appeared in the bottom of the basket and a crumpled parchment dropped onto her desk, the air balloon still in front of them.

"'_To Lily Potter_'?" Alice read the scrawl in red flashing ink on the head of the balloon.

Lily smiled sweetly and waved her wand, making the balloon erupt in a small flicker of flames and the class died down of appreciation.

_**You don't see us doing it now, do you? Not that we do, just to clarify. Which we don't. But I think we made that quite clear down at breakfast; you two were just being unaware and want to humiliate us.**_

_**P.S Like the balloon? Advanced piece of magic that is.**_

_No, I don't. But who knows? Maybe you're stroking him or something, how should I know? And I'm not trying to humiliate you, Potter. You achieve that all by yourself._

_No, I hate it. Did you see how quickly it burnt up? Sorry. But if you call me Lily Potter again, I'll curse you until your member shrinks and you'll be a virgin for the rest of your despondent life._

_**That's just horrifying, Evans. You have a dirty mind, you do. Sirius is my BROTHER, he lives under the same roof as me. You don't expect me to start shagging my brother?! And thanks for that, really deflated my ego a bit.**_

_**Who said I was a virgin, Evans? Are you stalking my sex life? And why shouldn't I? You will be in the future, Evans.**_

_Oh well, maybe you two get bored and only have each other to entertain? I don't know. You two are the bizarre ones. I wouldn't be surprised if you once did a foursome. I've always wondered why you were all so close._

_Potter, you just said it at breakfast. Are you having Alzheimer early? Or does your arrogance hold too much space in your brain; it leaves no room for your memory cells? I'm not going to comment on that._

_**Arguing with you is pointless; I give up. That is disgusting. A foursome? Peter, Remus, and I are still virgins. However, I cannot say the same thing about Sirius.**_

_**Well then, that proves my point of never having a foursome with the Marauders. Point confirmed. No, Evans I do not have Alzheimer. And my arrogance is what gets the women, I'm positive it got you.**_

_You're such an arse, Potter. Visualize in your head me rolling my eyes. Imagined it? Great. Now you know what I'm doing at the moment._

_I'm going to ignore the last comment, because if I don't I shall highly deny it. And I don't want to offend you more. Because we are _friends _and I stick to my friendship and I do not want to hurt you as much as I already have. You see. I am now humble towards you. You are welcome._

_**Friends do not call each other arses, Evans, as you so rudely did just before. Nevertheless, because I value our friendship, I will act as if you did not say it. Evans, if one should be called humble, it should be the one writing this note to you.**_

_I feel touched, Potter. I beg on my knees for your forgiveness (note the sarcasm). I didn't know Remus was back and writing to me. Hey! How was your encounter with Mary, Remus?_

James looked up from the note and nudged Sirius, who had resumed his position of napping in class before. He woke up with a jolt, sitting up in his seat and muttering a stream of incoherent words.

"What, Prongs?" Sirius huffed, scowling and trying to sit in an acceptable position, ignoring the numerous stares that came from the students around them.

"Moony is with MacDonald," James whispered, looking at Binns' who just looked up briefly but returned to his notes, never stopping his lesson as he continued.

Sirius raised his eyebrows so they were obscured by his black locks, his jaw slightly open. "What's he doing with Mary? And how do you know?" he asked.

"Lily just said –" James confessed, holding out the note, which Sirius snatched and read quickly.

"Ask her what she means," he urged, nodding at the parchment.

_**Lily, what could you possibly mean? Our Remus, the Marauder, is with your Mary? Spill, Evans. Spill.**_

He tossed it quickly towards Lily, making it bounce off her arm and hit the desk.

Lily looked at it and reached for it slowly, as if tauntingly, and began to open it. She grinned, holding her quill in her hand, and pressed it to the parchment, painfully slowly, James and Sirius noted, when –

The bell rang.

All thoughts of answering James and Sirius flew from her mind as students stood up gleefully and made a beeline to the door after Binns announced their fourteen-inch long essay about the two sides of the war, the results, and the accountants in it. She stood up and stuffed her notes in her bag, walking alongside Alice towards the door. She looked up and found Sirius and James blocking it, each teenager on one side of the door. She grinned.

"Hey, James. Sirius. Lovely lesson, yeah? I enjoyed how Snorts the Long Snort killed two giants with only one arrow, didn't you?" Lily asked, trying to move her way pass them but they just shook their heads. Alice glanced at her nervously before moving past the two adolescents and muttering a quick apology to Lily and waving goodbye as she tried to catch up with a friend that walked by.

"Cut to the chase, Evans. What is our Moony doing with your Mary?" Sirius asked, his arms crossed after blocking the view of the corridor again after letting Alice through and his slant figure leaning against the door.

"Is there a problem, Bale and Potty?" Binns' voice said from in front of them. Sirius and James looked over Lily's shoulder to give him a charming smile, which Lily knew would get them out of anything if they wanted to. Just what she needed, a distraction.

Lily looked behind her to find Binns shuffling his papers and looking up at the trio. She turned to face the smirking boys and tried to push past them as they answered the teacher, hoping they'd be too diverted to the teacher to pay any notice to her. But a hand clamped over her forearm, stopping her from bypassing them and out to the corridor.

"Not so fast, Evans. We haven't gotten the answer we want yet," James told her, pulling her outside to the overflowing strip, students pushing and shoving others to get to their next class, others stopping to catch up with several acquaintances.

"Where's Remus, what do you know, and why is he with Mary?" Sirius asked, joining them after being excused by Binns. He leaned on the wall beside Lily, James standing in front of her with his arms crossed and an eyebrow increasing height from its normal place in suspicion.

"I don't know, I don't know, and I won't tell you," she replied, her foot tapping impatiently and her eyes to the ceiling, giving the impression of being innocent. James and Sirius exchanged looks of disbelief.

"Why won't you tell us?" James asked.

"Because it's not my business to tell."

"Lily –"

"Oh, that's the bell. I have to go! Class and all. See you later, eh?" Lily ducked under James' blocking arm and headed down the corridor to her right, the rabid way out.

"But it's a free period now!" James shouted after her. Lily waved over her shoulder, turning the corner and disappearing down the other hall.

Sirius sighed. "Moony is with MacDonald and we need to find out why," he planned, his hands in his pockets as he began walking down the other way, opposite the end Lily just went through.

James followed. "Yeah, but the map isn't with us, it's with him, remember?"

"He isn't the clever one for nothing."

"He's hiding something," Sirius accused, walking up the marble staircase gradually.

James nodded, staring at his feet in silence. If Remus were indeed hiding something, then surely he would come out of his dark hole and tell them, right? Well apparently, he is now sharing that dark hole with Mary and he doesn't need the Marauders anymore. James furtively wondered if they had a relationship that was a bit over friendship. But he'd tell them if he was, right? James and Sirius (and occasionally Peter) always tell him about their new link to another girl, whether romantically (in the case of James) or sexually (more on Sirius' behalf). Eventually he'll come out and tell them, with Mary or without her. They were the Marauders. Hence, nothing was kept from each other.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry this is shorter than the last one, I intended on making it bigger bit it's exams week and so, I haven't had much time. I decided to give you this as a fill up on the suspension I left you in the last week so sorry! **

**I'd like to thank **_**Younghagrid**_**, for filling me with warmth when they reviewed, and to the rest that followed/favorite THANK YOU! **

**Be sure to leave a review, I'd love to hear from any of you.**


	3. Attention

Sorry for the long wait, guys. But it's not a chapter. I'm giving up on fanfiction and I need to focus on my studies. I'm entering High School this year and I don't want to fail. So this is a goodbye, thanks for your support to my readers and it's been a fun time. ;D


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